This week’s Monday Night Football will pit the NY Giants against the Washington Redskins and a lot is riding on this game. Earlier this season the Giants beat the Redskins 27-23. Right now the Redskins are 5-6 while the Giants are 7-4. Given the remaining schedule for the Redskins, it is foreseeable that Washington could catch the Giants in the NFC East. If the two teams finish with identical records then this game becomes a must win if Washington is to win the division. Without the division win the wildcard spot will be very competitive this year.

The Giants have faltered as of late, losing two games before the bye week but they came back strong last week to stomp the Packers 38-10. They have scored an average of 27.7 points a game this season; given their performance last week we can expect they are back to fine form on offense. The Giants have one of the best passing offenses in the league which makes them a threat against Washington’s 31st ranked pass defense. The Giants’ run offense is average but it will struggle against Washington’s 3rd ranked run defense. Against strong run defenses with a weaker pass defense the Eagles have scored 27 and 34 points, so expect them to hit that range this week. The Redskins have been bleeding points in the second half of the season to better teams with good passing offenses; in those games they have given up an average of nearly 29 points.

The Redskins have remained very fit in the run game earning themselves a 2nd place ranking in the NFL for run offense. Their passing game has been decent as well with a 19th ranking. The Giants have played very few teams with strong run games so it is hard to predict how their defense will stand aside from their last match-up with Washington. Washington has scored an average of 26.8 points a game this season and the Giants have allowed an average of 20.5 points a game. Against better defenses such as Pittsburgh, NY Giants and Atlanta, Washington has failed to surpass 23 points. Therefore, a comfortable prediction would be for the Redskins to score 23 points this week.

The odds makers are predicting a 27-24 finish once again (based on their odds). The numbers here would suggest the Giants are capable of going slightly higher to a 29-23 score. Washington is 2-3 at home and the Giants are 3-2 on the road; this might suggest that Washington will not gain a significant benefit from the home field advantage.

If you think that Washington has a shot at winning this game there may be some substance to that thinking. Dallas split games with the Giants 24-17 (Dallas win) and 29-24 (Dallas loss); last week Washington beat Dallas 38-31. So despite losing to the Giants 27-24, it maybe be possible that Washington, Dallas and the Giants are all, on average, about the same caliber. Yes the Giants have beaten really good teams but they have also lost to average teams.